Re: Locating minis

In a message dated 4/30/99 10:39:45 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
agoodall@interlog.com writes:

<< 
  The product control issue was a RAFM problem. Some of the small bits
that 
made
 up the blister packs were missing from some of the production runs. I
know 
the
 store I bought mine from (The Worldhouse, in Toronto) ended up sending
a 
whole
 mess of them back because they were all missing bits. This did
essentially
 kill the game in their store as it took RAFM forever to send
replacements.>>

RAFM did take measures to fix this. In '96 or '97 blisters started
showing up 
with parts still on the sprues. There is enough metal in the sprue to
produce 
another half a figure.
 
 >> The delayed release of the figures, though, is the thornier issue.
DP9 
claimed
 it was RAFM production problems. However, the RAFM rep claimed that a
lot of
 it was slow-ups with DP9. DP9 had to approve the art work for the
packaging,
 and this more than anything (according to RAFM) delayed the release of
 critical models.<<

This is still an excuse for DP9. The new 10mm tactical boxs were delayed
4 to 
6 months. DP9 blamed the printers claiming they had printed them in
pink. 
 
 >>DP9 blamed all of this on RAFM, and while RAFM did have a good chunk
of the
 blame, so did DP9. Even still, RAFM still expected to get a renewal of
the
 license... until, with very little warning, DP9 announced their new
line of
 figures. RAFM would not be producing them. 
 
 This is documented on Deja News. If you go back to last year, you'll
see DP9s
 arguments, and you'll eventually see RAFM's public statement.<<

Apparently DP9 set up a complaint line under the illusion that the
comments 
were going to RAFM. RAFM in their statement claimed that the were never 
informed about this until much later when a large body	of complaints
were 
dropped on them at once to justify dropping the license.
 
 >>I do know that DP9 was using the Worldhouse's experience to explain
how 
RAFM
 messed things up. What DP9 does NOT mention is that while the
Worldhouse
 almost gave up on Heavy Gear because of the RAFM mess, they COMPLETELY
gave 
up
 on Heavy Gear when it was re-released in the new scale.

 Also, the figures were far more "bang for the buck" from RAFM than from
DP9. 
<<

Same here at Little Wars. The store had been opeen a few months, and my 
customers (and I ) were looking foward to Gear Krieg. The announcement
to go 
to 10mm completely killed the game. When the first 10mm showed up
(dubbed the 
"Disco-Gear" by my customers) it justified their decision.  
At one point I thought it was just me and I preordered one on the new 
Striders. I didn't think anybody could outprice Games Workshop. I can't
even 
sell the thing at 30% off. 
 
 >> The reason for the new scale, from what I hear, is that the Internet

mailing
 list was asked what they wanted, and they called for a smaller scale. I
 suspect this was too narrow a demographic: rabid players who had a
mature
 collection in the larger scale. A lot of us who were just getting into
it, or
 who were collecting slowly, felt abandoned. For instance, I gave up on
the
 game entirely. I should probably sell what I've got, but I just didn't
bother
 buying any more for it. Also, the scale (1/144) is weird for ground
combat. 
At
 HO scale, there were plenty of sources for terrain (particularly
buildings)
 and vehicles (kitbashing). The smaller scale is odd... too big for
micro
 armour stuff (like the GZG buildings) and too small for HO or 15mm...<<

This was the worse part. I exchanged e-mails with DP9 several times on
one of 
the newsgroups. During the exchanges, the response from other people
were 
about 6 to 1 against changing scale (estimated). I was told that no one
like 
the large scale. It was too big, too hard to transport, too hard to
assemble 
and that the new scale would be easier to get terrain for. My arguement
that 
I didn't know of anyone who made 10mm sci-fi terrain was blown off. 
I was also told that Heavy Gear is primarily a roll playing game and
thats 
where the sales are, so scale is not important. All my sales have been
to 
tabletop gamers, some of who use the roll plaing to add color to the
game.
When I brought up the very positive response to the Gear Kreig idea, how
it 
would bring in historical players who already had 20mm WWII, and how the
game 
cold get off to a flying start because so many 20mm WWII lines already 
existed, I was told that that would be a hell of a was to do business
because 
DP9 would not get the sale of the WWII figures. Considering they don't
make 
WWII figures, that arguement seems pretty weak.
I can't defend RAFM. Every time I've tried to deal with them I've gotten
a 
bad attitude or no results. But in this case it seems to me it's just
plain 
greed on DP9s part. It real shame considering what a quality game Heavy
Gear 
is.

Sorry for the diatribe.

Faron Betchley

Little Wars
11213K Lee Highway
Fairfax VA 22030
(703) 352-9222
(703) 352-9279<fax>